Machine for capping milk-bottles.



Patented May 24, 1910.

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D. S. YARD.

MACHINE FOR GAPPING MILK BOTTLES.

APPLICATION TILED DEG.14, 1909. 959,038, Patented May 24, 1910.

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APPLICATION FILED 13180.14, 1909.

Patented May 24, 1910.

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Elma/Mm D. S. YARD.

MACHINE FOR CAPPING MILK BOTTLES.

APPLICATION FILED 13110.14, I909.

959,038. Patented May 24, 1910.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5 554M: ew to r/ Anmlw B GRAHAM c0. PHOYOMTHOGRAPNERS, wAsmnar'ou n c DAVID S. YARD, OF OLEAN, NEW YORK.

MACHINE FOR CAPPING MILK-BOTTLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 24., 1910.

Application filed December 14, 1909. Serial No. 533,108.

' tion relates especially to machines for capping milk bottles. In devices of this kind, for them to be acceptable and used as a practicable and eflicient substitute for handcapping, there is a demand for certain attributes which, so far as I am aware, are not possessed by any device hitherto brought to my knowledge. With rapidity of action there must be not only certainty, but accuracy of operation.

The invention hereinafter set forth fully obtains the desired result, as has been clearly demonstrated by the actual use and operation of the device herein shown and described.

WVith the end in view, the present invention consists of a machine or apparatus having the construction hereinafter set forth.

In the annexed drawings: Figure 1 represents an end view of the device. Fig. 2, a side view which may be termed a rear view. Fig. 3, a side view which may be termed a front view, parts at the rear being omitted to avoid confusion. Fig. 4, a detail view. Fig. 5, a plan view looking down below the plane of the line 5-5, Fig. 2, parts being in section and parts omitted so that other parts may be shown. Figs. 6 and 7, sectional details. Fig. 8, a plan View of the clamping plate. Fig. 9, a detail of part of the clamping plate.

In these drawings, the numeral 1 represents suitable legs for the machine. At a convenient distance from their lower ends to these legs 1 are secured the ends 2, 2, side bars 3, 3, having edges 4, 4 and bottoms 5, 5, and the ends 6, 6 of end bars 7, 7, and below are secured the ends 8 and 9 of cross braces 10 and 11 with bolts 12 where the braces 10 and 11 cross each other. The bolts 12 pass through slots 13 in vertical depending arms 14 which carry supports 15 to the upper ends 17 and 18 of which are attached the ends 19 and 20 of lengthwise plates 21, 22, This forms a support for the box containing the milk bottles.

Held by pivots 23 to the braces 10 are levers 24, the inner ends 25 of which are fastened to the depending arms 14 and to the outer ends 26 are fastened the lower ends 27, 27 of vertical rods 28, 28 which pass through guides 29, 29 up to the top of the machine.

The numeral 30 (Figs. 2 and 8-) indicates the clamp frame, which is in most of its de tails like the clamp frame shown in my United States Patent Number 935,87 9 of October 5, 1909. It consists of a rigid base plate 31 having as many holes 32 as there are bottles to be filled. Placed on top of the base plate 31 of this clamp frame 30 are the sets of clamping plates consisting of two members to each set and as many sets as there are rows of bottles to be capped. The clamping plates 33 and 34 have the transverse bars connecting the plates of each set of clamping members together, the studs, the pivot posts and the other details of construction set forth in this patent, except in so far as the present invention modifies the same.

The cross-bar 35 which corresponds to the cross-bar 77 in the patent has on one edge the teeth 36. The lever 37 corresponding to the lever 80 in the patent is pivoted in like manner to the base plate 31, but is connected with the cross-bar 35 by a link 38 which is held by joints 39, 40 to the cross-bar 35 and lever 37. Pivoted on top of the lever 37 is a handle 41, to which is attached an end 42 of a link rod 43, the other end 44 of which is jointed to a pawl 45 adapted to engage the teeth 36. This pawl 45 is pivoted in a recess 46 just under the cross-bar 35. This re cess 46 is made of two oppositely adjacent cuts 47, 48 made in the edges of two plates 33, 34, such cuts having the curved or rounded portions 49, 50 and extending from these the straight portions 51, 52. The pawl 45 consists of a round body 53, fitting in the rounded portions 49, 50, and a straight portion 54 having the tooth 55. This pawl is held in engagement with the teeth 36 by a spring 56 fastened in the recess 46, and having an end 57 hearing in a notch 58 of the round body 53. When the clamp plates are gripped about the necks of the bottles, the pawl 45, being held in' engagement with the teeth 36, prevents any accidental unlocking.

By operating the handle 41 the pawl is withdrawn from the teeth 36 when desired, and the lever 37 moved to loosen the grip of the clamp plates upon the bottles. This produces a positive locking device which must be loosened before the clamping frame may be opened. In my patent referred to there is a double detent to assist in holding against accidental loosening, but it permits positive action as stated in the patent. The clamp frame 30 is made underneath with circular projections 59, one around each hole The clamp plate 30 is also made with end projections 60, 60, each having two holes 61, 61 and the curved guides 62. Held in these holes 61, 61 by nuts 63, 63 are the lower ends 64, 64 of threaded rods 65, 65 which extending upwardly are secured to the bottoms 66, 66 of slides 67, 67 which have vertical bars 68, 68 provided at the tops with slots 69, 69 and on the outside with pins 70, 70. These slides 67, 67 fit in and pass through slots 71, 71 in the ends of the bed plate 72 which is fastened to the tops of the legs 1 of the machine. This bed plate 72 is provided with transverse channels 73, in which fit and slide the crossbars 74 of the cap, feeding frame, such cross-bars 74 being held to the end pieces '75, 76, the construction being the same as shown in the patent referred to. In the present instance the bedplate 72 is provided with the longitudinal parallel grooves 77 along the bottoms of the channels 73, the construction being shown in cross-section in Fig. 7 and in plan in Fig. 5, these grooves'7 7 appearing below the bottoms of the cap magazines 78 in Fig. 5. The bed plate also has the cap magazines 78, and the holes 79 in which they are held and the plungers and their operative mechanism 80 and the holes 81 therefor, this construction also being the same as in the patent referred to. But in the present device the piston is differently connected to the operative shaft. The plunger piston 82 is jointed at its top 83 with the end 84 of an arm 85, the other end 86 of which is jointed to the crank 87 which is rigidly secured to one of the operative shafts 88. Rising from the barrel 89 of the crank '87 is an arm 90 which has a curve 91 and at its top 92 has a vertical hole 93. A rod 94 passes loosely through this hole 93 and has its lower end 95 secured to the arm 85. Surrounding the rod 94 between the arms 85 and 90 is a spiral spring 96. The several operative shafts 88 carrying the crank connections and the plungers are held in suitable standards 97, the general arrangement being the same as in the patent referred to. To one end of one of the shafts 88 is secured the operating lever 98. The shafts also have the crank arms 99 and the connecting bar 100, so they may be operated in unison as explained in the patent referred to. In the present device a counter-weight 101 is secured to one of the shafts 88, preferably at the side of the machine away from the lever 98. Also a spring 102 is secured at one end 103 to the connecting bar 100 and at its other end 104 to the frame of the machine.

Rising from the bed plate 72 near its ends are the standards 105, 106, in the tops 107, 108 of which is journaled the longitudinal shaft 109. On the ends 110, 111 of this shaft 109 outside of the standards 105, 106 are secured the cam wheels 112, 113. On the in side these cam wheels 112, 113 are made with the cam grooves or channels 114. These cam grooves or channels 114 are formed by providing the cam wheels 112, 113 with elongated ribs 115, 116, and a central boss 117 having the tongue 118, the shape of the ribs and bosses being such as to make the grooves or chanenls cam-shaped. On the outside these cam wheels 112, 113 have the cam ribs 119, 120 near one edge and a. pin 121, 122 near the opposite edge. Secured to ends of the bed plate 72 outside of the standards 105 and 106 are supports 123, 124. Tothese supports 123, 124 are jointed two vertical forked oscillating arms 125, 126 having at their top the forks 127 and 128. Jointed to these oscillating arms 125, 126 are the ends of connecting rods 129, 130, the other ends of which are jointed to crank arms 131, 132 projecting from a rock shaft 133, which is held in bearings 134, 135 rising from the bed plate 72, and runs lengthwise of the machine. About midway this longitudinal shaft 133 has connected to it an arm 136, which is also connected by a link 137 to a transverse bar 138, the ends 139, 140 of which are connected, respectively, to the end bars 7 5 and 76 of the cap feeding frame.

Between the longitudinal shaft 133 and the cam wheels 112, 113 there rise from the bed plate 72 supports 141, part being broken away in the drawing to show other parts beyond, to the tops 142 of which are pivoted levers 143, 144, the outer ends 145, 146 of which are jointed to the upper ends of the rods 28. The inner ends 147, 148 of these levers 143, 144 are curved downwardly and outside the plane of the cam ribs 119, 120 of the cam wheels 112, 113. These levers 143, 144 have inwardly projecting pins 149, 150 in the paths of the cam ribs 119, 120. On the shaft 109 is placed the operating handle 151.

The box containing the bottles of milk is placed upon the plates 21 and 22, and the lever 37 is moved so that the clamping plates 33 and 34 are opened. The operating handle 151 is turned from the position shown in Fig. 1 over to the other side of the machine, turning the shaft 109. This causes the pins 7 0, to be moved in the cam grooves or channels 114:, 11 1 of the cam wheels 112 and 113, forcing the vertical bars 68, 68 and the slides 67, 67 downward, carrying with them the clamp frame 30. At the same time the cam ribs 119 and 120 on the outside of the cam wheels 113 and 112 come in contact with the pins 149 and 150 on the levers 143 and 144, and through the rods 28 and connections therefrom lift the plates 21'and 22 and with them the box containing the milk bottles. As soon as the clamping plates 33 and 34: come about the tops of the bottles, the lever 37 is moved so as to draw these plates toward one another and the pawl 15 engaging the teeth 36 firmly holds these plates in contact with the bottles against accidental dislodgment. As the clamping frame 30 is brought down the continued rotation of the shaft 109 causes the pins 121 and 122 to enter between the forks 127 and 128 of the oscillating arms 125 and 126, causing them to turn toward the rear of the machine and through the connecting rods 129 and 130 to turn the rock shaft 133. As this is done the cap feeding frame is moved toward the cross-bars 7 1 feeding caps from the magazines 7 8 under the plunger mechanism 80, as fully explained in the patent referred to. A reversal of the handle 151 returns the cap feeding frame for another stroke and elevates the clamping frame and the bottles so that the mouths of the bottles are brought just under the caps. The operating lever 98 is then turned so as to carry the plunger down, forcing the caps down into the mouths of the bottles. On the next movement of the handle 151 the capped bottles are returned to the box, the pawl 45 released from the teeth, the clamping plates 33 and 341: separated, the box removed and the machine is ready for another box of bottles.

By having the grooves 77 in the bed-plate 72, the caps are more easily fed, as there is less tendency to stick, also any particles of papers are caught in these grooves instead of falling into the bottles.

By the use of the ratchet and teeth on the clamping frame there is provided a positive locking device which must be loosened so that certainty of action is assured and danger of bottles being accidentally dislodged in the operation avoided.

Having described my invention, What I claim is:

1. A bottle capping machine provided with a clamping frame having clamping plates and a positive locking device for such plates, and means for positively locking and positively unlocking the positive locking dev1ce.

2. A bottle capping machine with a clamping frame having plates arranged in sets, a bar with such clamping plates and rack, a lever for moving such plates, and a pawl connected to and adapted to engage the rack.

3. A bottle capping machine provided with a shaft having thereon cam wheels provided on each face with a cam, a lifter for a bottle receptacle, a clamping frame for thetops of the bottles, and mechanisms between the cams and the lifter and the clamping frame.

4. A bottle capping machine provided with a shaft having thereon cam wheels provided on one side with a cam rib and on the other side with a cam groove, a lifter for a bottle receptacle, and a clamping frame for the tops of the bottles slides connected to the clamping frame and engaging the cam grooves, and levers connected to the lifter and engaging the cam ribs.

5. A bottle capping machine provided with a shaft having wheels provided with pins projecting from the faces thereof, oscillating arms provided with forks for engagement with such pins, a cap feeding frame, and connections between the oscillating arms and the frame.

6. A bottle capping machine provided with a shaft having wheels provided with pins projecting from the faces thereof, oscillating arms provided with forks for engagement with such pins, a cap feeding frame, a rock shaft, connections between the frame and rock shaft and between the rock shaft and the oscillating arms.

7. The combination of the operative shaft a plunger, a crank rigidly secured to the shaft, an arm jointed to the crank and to the plunger, an arm secured to the shaft, and a spring between this arm and the arm jointed to the crank and plunger.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

provided clamping connected having a clamping the lever DAVID S. YARD.

lVitnesses CHARLES P. LUTHER, O. L. Boswon'rn. 

